Shimla-the birthplace of the Durand Cup and the Indian Air Force ...

Air Marshal (Retd) TS Randhawa, VM. He is the
former Commandant, National Defence Academy
Football: An inspiration for
Infrastructure Development
The spring term of 1969 at the National Defence
Academy (NDA) was an interesting term. We three
course mates and classmates, albeit from different
squadrons, all sergeants, would march in the
seniority of the squadron which was doing the best in the inter
squadron games being held. Most of our course mates knew
of this and didn’t have to calculate the positions of at least
three squadrons in the current game being played. Not that it
mattered to the Academy, but it reflected the competitiveness
and high squadron spirit amongst us. This peculiar procedure,
I believe, was also a motivator to our junior cadets, as some of
them saw us as role models.
As things transpired that term, my squadron was to play the
Inter squadron football semi-final match against my course
mate’s squadron. The result of the match would decide our
marching order and was thus even more important for both
32 July 2011 purple beret
of us. The build up was intense. Both squadrons practised
hard in order to win. There were regular talks by the respective
squadron football captains to the teams and the squadron
cadets. When the time came both teams were pumped up and
a tremendous match was played. Both teams had a number of
players who were members of the Academy football team. The
match was finally decided by a solitary goal late in the second
half.
The other memory of that match was the large number of
injuries that both teams sustained. Since it was a match in
which no quarters were given, this was bound to happen. A
major contributor was the very ground we played on. It was a
hard mud ground with some grass. Remember the red clay soil
of Maharashtra. That very one was responsible for most of our
injuries. That is how games were played in the NDA then. The
details of the match have intentionally not been given as this